KARS Online Manual - Katy Area Ride Service
Transcription
KARS Online Manual - Katy Area Ride Service
KARS Online Manual Affordable Transportation for Katy Area Seniors Copyright © 2012 by Katy Area Ride Service All rights reserved. No part of this manual may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from KARS. The only exception is by KARS customers/riders, who may need to download or copy portions of the manual to their home computers or other personal devices. KARS operates under an official 501(c)(3) that designates it as a transportation service provider for seniors, persons with disabilities and veterans. Studies have shown these target populations to be traditionally underserved and especially disconnected from ride service access in the Katy area. Box 1062 Katy, TX 77492-1062 Tel . 832-773-8645 Website . http://karskaty.org Email . [email protected] Table of Contents Basic Overview KARS Operation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Registration. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Getting Your Electronic Fare Card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Making Your Reservation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 You’re Ready For Ride Day . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Changing the Time of a Scheduled Ride . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Procedure When Driver Arrives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Rider Courtesy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Cause for Suspension and/or Removal from Program . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Appeals Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Emergency Procedures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Terms You Need to Know . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 1 Basic Overview for Using the Service KARS operates under an official 501(c)(3) that designates it as a non-emergency transportation service provider for seniors, veterans and persons with disabilities. Riders must provide proof of eligibility. ♦♦ Over 65 years of age (proof of age required); ♦♦ Veterans (proof of military service required: Military ID or discharge papers); ♦♦ Veterans Disabled (proof of disability required: SSI Award letter or certification letter from your physician); ♦♦ You must also live within the KARS service area. Our service area map is on our website; 2. Registration To use the KARS service, you must be registered as an eligible customer either directly with Harris Rides or KARS. Clients may be enrolled with a maximum of only one agency and/or through direct enrollment with the Rides program. Registration with multiple agencies is not permitted. Clients may contact KARS to fill out an eligibility form to participate. Once you are approved and registered, you are eligible to purchase travel tickets that may be used with any of the designated transportation provider. Call KARS to fill out an eligibility form – 832773-8645. You may also call to schedule an appointment to fill out your application. The evaluation process takes about seven days. Once your application is approved and you are officially registered, you are eligible to purchase an electronic fare card to be used with any of our designated transportation partners. 3. Getting Your Electronic Fare Card Electronic fare cards (tickets) are used for trip payments and are distributed by KARS or purchased at $3.00 each by the passenger. The face value of the ticket is $6.00. Passengers may use a combination of cash and tickets when using taxicabs. The customer/agency pays a reduced fee of $3.00 per ticket: that’s a 50% savings off the ticket’s regular $6 value. Federal funding is used to pay the remaining 50% of trip cost and loaded onto your card at the time of purchase. A maximum of 8 coupons may be used for any one-way taxi trip. Customers are responsible for any taxi fare cost over $48.00. Funds for purchase of transportation services are non-refundable and have expiration dates. 4. Making Your Reservation Before making your reservation, give careful consideration to your specific needs. Will you be traveling with a group? Will medical equipment be involved? Do multiple entrances to your pickup or destination building present potential confusion for the driver? The reservation agent will be happy to walk through this aspect of the trip with you to avoid any inconvenience or missed connections. There are two levels of service available: ADVANCE RESERVATIONS FOR RIDESHARING WITH OTHER PASSENGERS With this option, your reservations are made a minimum of one day and up to four days prior to the date you plan to take your trip. This option accommodates multiple passengers that “share” the vehicle with you as they are taken to their specific destinations along that particular route. Advanced reservation services are available Monday through Friday. However, cancellation notifications are accepted everyday. Please review the schedule You may have up to 2 cancellations in any 30-day period. Upon the third cancellation in a 30-day period, a 30-day suspension from use of the program will follow. RIDES and KARS reserve the right to remove customers from service who are found to be abusing the service by overbooking reservations. SAME-DAY SERVICE FOR TAXI RIDES DISPATCHED ON THE SAME DAY AS THE REQUEST With this option, your reservations are made a minimum of 90 minutes prior to the time you plan to take your trip. Advance same-day reservations will be accepted no earlier than 6 pm on the day prior to travel. Cancellations must be made at least 4 hours ahead of the requested trip time. After that, cancellations will be regarded the same as no-shows, which could eventually put your participation in the program in jeopardy. Keep in mind taxicab services allow up to four passengers to ride from one single destination address to another single destination address for the price of one passenger. However, you may use your electronic fare cards for a maximum fare of $48.00 for a taxi trip. Customers are responsible for any taxi fare cost over $48.00. Here’s a brief overview of how to make reservations: • Contact the provider of your choice. This may be KARS or Harris Rides • Tell the agent you are a KARS customer. Give your ID number and address. • Tell the agent where you want to go and your appointment time. Also, if you will need to be picked up after your activity, tell the agent the time of return pickup. • • Make the agent aware of any special needs or accommodations. Will you travel with companions? Will you need a wheelchair? Will any medical equipment accompany you? Request your reservation confirmation number and write it down. Also write down your pick-up time and ticket/fare amount quoted. The initial quote will be for one way only. 5. You’re Ready For Ride Day This is the simple part. Present your picture ID when boarding the vehicle. Present your Rides E-Card to the driver for swiping. When you arrive at your destination, present your card again for swiping. The driver will provide you with a receipt that displays your card balance. Exit the vehicle. Now let the fun begin. 6. Changing the Time of a Scheduled Ride For scheduled service with a non-metered provider, reservation changes should be made at least 4 hours ahead of your original travel time or as soon as you know you need to change your schedule. If you change your shared ride reservation on the same day that you are traveling, please be aware that the provider may not be able to accommodate your request, due to space availability. For taxicab service, please notify the provider as soon as you know you need to change your pickup time. In the case of a full cancellation, cancellation calls can be made to providers 24 hours a day, 7 days per week. 7. Procedure When Driver Arrives • No playing of radios, cassette tapes, compact disks (without headphones), or other noisy equipment while on-board; Present your card to the driver at the beginning of your trip. The driver will request that you present a Picture ID for identification upon exiting vehicle present your card to deduct your fare. Driver will print a receipt with your balance. Drivers do not expect any tips. Repeat the same procedures for your return trip. • No operating or tampering with any vehicle equipment while on-board; If the driver arrives and you do not have funds on your card for payment, you will be charged with a no-show. 8. Rider Courtesy We ask that riders observe the following Rules of Conduct: • No smoking in the vehicles; • No eating or drinking on-board (unless required for health reasons); • No riding with containers of alcohol or with illegal drugs; • No abusive, threatening, or obscene language or actions; • No defacing or abuse of vehicles or equipment on vehicles; • No deliberate fare evasion; • No physical abuse of another customer or of the driver; • No petting of service animals without the permission of the owner; 9. Cause for Suspension and/ or Removal from Program Passengers engaging in physical abuse or causing physical injury to another passenger or driver, or who engage in other illegal activities may be subject to immediate and permanent removal from service. • • Passengers engaging in activity which seriously disrupts operations may also be subject to a suspension of service. • Deliberately evading fare payment may result in suspension or removal from the program. • A passenger may be suspended from using the service for no-show and cancellation offenses as determined by your sponsoring agency or RIDES. • Any passenger who is suspended from service will be notified in writing and will be given an opportunity to appeal the suspension. • Transportation provider and sponsoring agencies will be immediately alerted of all customer suspensions. 10. Appeals Process Customers will be notified by telephone initially, but will also receive written notice of any suspensions and removals from the program by KARS or the RIDES program. Any time a customer is removed or suspended from service, the customer has the opportunity to appeal the decision. All appeals must be in writing and submitted to the KARS office at: 22503 Katy Freeway, Suite 8 Katy, Texas 77450 An independent panel will review your appeal within 30 days of receipt. You will continue to receive service until the review panel has made a determination. You will be notified in writing of the appeal decision. 11. Emergency Procedures If you have an emergency not related to transportation, dial 9-1-1 • In the event of an accident or emergency while onboard the vehicle, please remain calm and follow the instructions of the driver. • If you should become ill or notice another passenger who may be ill, please immediately inform the driver. • It is your responsibility to have access to your destination and/or home, or to have someone meet you when you are dropped off. • There are instances when a trip may take longer than expected. Bring any medication you need. If you have a medical need, you may want to carry a small snack. 12. Terms You Need To Know Pick-up Window Pick-up window refers to the timeframe within which your ride should arrive and be considered on time. This designated time frame is 45 minutes: no earlier than 15 minutes prior to and no later than 30 minutes after the scheduled (and agreed-on) pick-up time. Drivers are required to wait only 5 minutes after arrival within the designated pick-up window. No-Show If you fail to take a scheduled ride when the vehicle arrives within the pick-up window, it is considered a no-show. You may have up to 2 verified no-shows in any 30-day period. You are also charged a no-show if the provider arrives within the pick-up window and you do not have sufficient funds on your RIDES e-card for trip payment. A no-show is also charged to you if the cancellation policy timeframes are not adhered to when using taxi service. Upon the third no-show in a 30-day period, a 30day suspension from the program will follow. For all no-shows, an attempt to contact you will be made by the transportation provider’s dispatcher before the driver leaves the pick-up address. RIDES and your sponsor agency reserve the right to remove customers from service who are found to be abusing the service by not taking the reserved trips. Please contact your sponsor agency for specific policies. Late Trip Every effort will be made by the transportation provider to provide the trip within the pick-up window. If a provider fails to pick you up within the pick-up window, you should contact the provider and make sure they are aware that you have not been picked up. Every effort will be made to provide you with a back-up ride. On-Board Travel Time Under normal operating conditions, you should not be onboard the shared ride vehicle for more than 90 minutes. Taxicabs provide direct service to your destination. Advanced Reservation Non-metered providers require advance notice to reserve a ride. Non-metered providers also use ride-sharing with other passengers. Contact us for any additional questions you might have: 832-773-8645